Major Milestone for Islamic Community to be Marked in Houses of Parliament

LONDON, June 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Reception celebrates centenary of Ahmadiyya Muslims in UK and contribution to British life

Tuesday 11^th June 2013 12.15 PM at Churchill Room

• 100 years of countering extremism and serving as  loyal citizens
• Britain's biggest mosque and London's first purpose-built mosque
• Massive programme of charity fund raising, interfaith events, blood donations, homeless feeding, environmental protection, and nationwide door-to-door messages of peace

An historic milestone is to be marked in Parliament for an Islamic community whose work Prime Minister David Cameron said 'Britain can be proud of'.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community marks its centenary in Britain this year with a range of charitable and peace events - the hallmark of the community whose ethos is Love for All Hatred for None.

The community has sponsored hundreds of peace messages on buses around the country, raised tens of thousands of pounds for the annual Poppy Appeal, organised blood donation drives and is currently involved in a nationwide programme of spreading the peaceful message of Islam through a door-to-door leaflet campaign that has already reached four million homes.

The Ahmadi Muslims built London's first mosque in 1924 and now operate western Europe's largest mosque in Morden, Surrey, with capacity for 10,000 worshippers. Since 1913 the community has grown to over 100 chapters around the country, with each chapter dedicated to serving the community through charity events, voluntary work and interfaith dialogue.

Ahmadi Muslims have condemned violent Jihad ever since the community was founded in India in 1889 and stand firmly against firebrand clerics and those who incite hatred and violence.

Their 100 years of service in the UK is to be marked in a Parliamentary reception on 11 June being hosted by Rt Hon Edward Davey MP, Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change in conjunction with the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

The prestigious and exclusive event will feature leading Cabinet members, parliamentarians and diplomats and the keynote speaker will be the worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community His Holiness Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Khalifa of Islam.

Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, who is based in London, said:

"Britain has provided a home for thousands of Ahmadi Muslims over the past century. Our duty as Muslims is to be grateful to God and to give thanks to Queen and country for allowing us to practice our faith freely.

 "Islam teaches us to be loyal citizens and we believe it is our duty to serve the country, contribute to society and promote peace for all.

"When we say Islam means peace, we practice that very fact and demonstrate it with our actions."

Rafiq Hayat, National President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK said:

"In this our centenary year we are making an extra effort to reach out and strengthen our links with the wider community. Events such as the terrible Woolwich murders, which have no place in Islam, remind us that we need to ensure that people have the chance to learn about the true peaceful message of Islam, so that there is greater understanding, unity and social harmony. The need for such initiatives has never been greater.

"It is a special year for us and the centenary event in the Houses of Parliament will be a fitting tribute to the common values that we share and have sought to promote for the past one hundred years."

The community has already hosted many local community events to mark the centenary with local friends and communities, and will also be launching a major bus campaign to mark the centenary.

Contacts:
Basharat Nazir media@ahmadiyya.org.uk Tel +44-7703-483-384
Mahmood Rafiq Tel +44-7971-060-962
http://www.loveforallhatredfornone.org
http://www.alislam.org